Chapter 22 Take Over Her Work +2 Bonus I was the one causing trouble for Veronica ? Now that was rich . But what could Lyra possibly say right now ? No matter how she tried to explain herself , Maxen always took Veronica's side . Whether she'd done anything wrong or not , he never trusted her . Lyra swallowed the bitter hurt rising in her chest and pushed his hand away . " You should go find your precious Ms. Wynn . " She turned and walked away . Maxen watched her leave , his expression darkening . Her complete transformation from six years of compliance to this defiance made him incredibly uncomfortable . It felt like something was slipping out of his control . ***** The next day , Lyra went to work at the hospital as usual , but yesterday's incident had made her feel the weight of her colleagues ' judgment . Everyone stayed quiet on the surface , but she could hear them whispering behind her back . Lyra didn't bother defending herself against these 1/5 22:03 Chapter 22 Take Over Her Work +2 Bonus misunderstandings. She had already put in her transfer request , and once the deadline hit , her time at Downtown Memorial Hospital would be over . She figured there was no point in explaining anything . Maybe the gossip got too loud , because it eventually reached . Leonard's ears , and he called her in . Lyra pushed open his office door . " You wanted to see me ? " Leonard gestured for her to sit down , then spoke calmly , " Lyly , is there some kind of misunderstanding between you and Dr. Wynn ? " Lyra kept her expression neutral . " There's no misunderstanding between us . Once my transfer deadline comes up , I'll be leaving anyway . " Leonard sighed . " You know Dr. Wynn is Mr. Hawthorne's choice . Sometimes it's better to just avoid trouble when you can . For the next few days, let Dr. Wynn handle your current cases . " Lyra froze , unable to believe what she was hearing . " Hand them over to her ? Are you sure she can handle them ? " This was basically forcing her to give up her authority . But she wasn't the one who did anything wrong . 2/5 22:03 Chapter 22 Take Over Her Work +2 Bonus " Lyra , I understand you're upset , but this is Mr. Hawthorne's decision . He wants to promote Dr. Wynn , and there's nothing I can do about it , " Leonard sighed . Lyra felt her chest tighten . She took a deep breath . " I understand . " As Lyra walked out of Leonard's office , she ran right into Veronica . Veronica raised an eyebrow , wearing a smile that didn't reach her eyes . There was definitely some smugness lurking there . " Dr. Sheppard , Leonard called you in to break the news , didn't he ? I'm so sorry about this . I never expected Max would go this far for me . I guess you're the one who has to deal with the consequences . " Lyra walked right past her without stopping or even slowing down . Being completely ignored made Veronica's face turn dark with anger . IN So Lyra thought she could compete with her just because she was decent - looking ? What a joke ! Veronica was determined to see if Lyra could still work in this 3/5 M 22:04 Chapter 22 Take Over Her Work industry once her reputation was completely destroyed . +2 Bonus Meanwhile , at Hawthorne Group , Natalie pushed open the door and walked into the office . " Mr. Hawthorne , I've contacted Leonard like you asked . " She paused for a moment , then continued , " But are you really planning to let Ms. Wynn take over Ms. Sheppard's responsibilities ? " Besides the Hawthorne family , Natalie was the only person at the company who knew about Maxen and Lyra's secret marriage . That was why Natalie always called Lyra " Ms. Sheppard " . Even when facing Lyra directly , she had to pretend she didn't know anything . Maxen spun the antique globe on his desk , speaking casually , " I owe her . " He knew he owed Veronica everything . So whatever Veronica wanted , he'd try his best to give her . Besides , Lyra had slapped her in front of everyone , and there was no way Maxen could let Veronica hit back . Making Lyra pay a small price for her reckless behavior was already his compromise . Chapter 22 Take Over Her Work +2 Bonus I was the one causing trouble for Veronica ? Now that was rich . But what could Lyra possibly say right now ? No matter how she tried to explain herself , Maxen always took Veronica's side . Whether she'd done anything wrong or not , he never trusted her . Lyra swallowed the bitter hurt rising in her chest and pushed his hand away . " You should go find your precious Ms. Wynn . " She turned and walked away . Maxen watched her leave , his expression darkening . Her complete transformation from six years of compliance to this defiance made him incredibly uncomfortable . It felt like something was slipping out of his control . ***** The next day , Lyra went to work at the hospital as usual , but yesterday's incident had made her feel the weight of her colleagues ' judgment . Everyone stayed quiet on the surface , but she could hear them whispering behind her back . Lyra didn't bother defending herself against these 1/5 22:03 Chapter 22 Take Over Her Work +2 Bonus misunderstandings. She had already put in her transfer request , and once the deadline hit , her time at Downtown Memorial Hospital would be over . She figured there was no point in explaining anything . Maybe the gossip got too loud , because it eventually reached . Leonard's ears , and he called her in . Lyra pushed open his office door . " You wanted to see me ? " Leonard gestured for her to sit down , then spoke calmly , " Lyly , is there some kind of misunderstanding between you and Dr. Wynn ? " Lyra kept her expression neutral . " There's no misunderstanding between us . Once my transfer deadline comes up , I'll be leaving anyway . " Leonard sighed . " You know Dr. Wynn is Mr. Hawthorne's choice . Sometimes it's better to just avoid trouble when you can . For the next few days, let Dr. Wynn handle your current cases . " Lyra froze , unable to believe what she was hearing . " Hand them over to her ? Are you sure she can handle them ? " This was basically forcing her to give up her authority . But she wasn't the one who did anything wrong . 2/5 22:03 Chapter 22 Take Over Her Work +2 Bonus " Lyra , I understand you're upset , but this is Mr. Hawthorne's decision . He wants to promote Dr. Wynn , and there's nothing I can do about it , " Leonard sighed . Lyra felt her chest tighten . She took a deep breath . " I understand . " As Lyra walked out of Leonard's office , she ran right into Veronica . Veronica raised an eyebrow , wearing a smile that didn't reach her eyes . There was definitely some smugness lurking there . " Dr. Sheppard , Leonard called you in to break the news , didn't he ? I'm so sorry about this . I never expected Max would go this far for me . I guess you're the one who has to deal with the consequences . " Lyra walked right past her without stopping or even slowing down . Being completely ignored made Veronica's face turn dark with anger . IN So Lyra thought she could compete with her just because she was decent - looking ? What a joke ! Veronica was determined to see if Lyra could still work in this 3/5 M 22:04 Chapter 22 Take Over Her Work industry once her reputation was completely destroyed . +2 Bonus Meanwhile , at Hawthorne Group , Natalie pushed open the door and walked into the office . " Mr. Hawthorne , I've contacted Leonard like you asked . " She paused for a moment , then continued , " But are you really planning to let Ms. Wynn take over Ms. Sheppard's responsibilities ? " Besides the Hawthorne family , Natalie was the only person at the company who knew about Maxen and Lyra's secret marriage . That was why Natalie always called Lyra " Ms. Sheppard " . Even when facing Lyra directly , she had to pretend she didn't know anything . Maxen spun the antique globe on his desk , speaking casually , " I owe her . " He knew he owed Veronica everything . So whatever Veronica wanted , he'd try his best to give her . Besides , Lyra had slapped her in front of everyone , and there was no way Maxen could let Veronica hit back . Making Lyra pay a small price for her reckless behavior was already his compromise .